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Simultaneous Treatment (simultaneous + treatment)
Selected AbstractsOligonucleotide-based microarray analysis of retinoic acid target genes in the protochordate, Ciona intestinalisDEVELOPMENTAL DYNAMICS, Issue 4 2005Tomoko Ishibashi Abstract Oligonucleotide-based microarray analyses were carried out to identify retinoic acid target genes in embryos of the ascidian Ciona intestinalis. Of 21,938 spots, 50 (corresponding to 43 genes) showed over twofold up-regulation in retinoic acid-treated tail bud embryos. In situ hybridization verified retinoic acid-induced up-regulation of 23 genes. Many of them were expressed in the anterior tail region, where a retinaldehyde dehydrogenase homolog is expressed. Homologs of vertebrate genes involved in neurogenesis and/or neuronal functions (e.g., COUP-TF, Ci-Hox1, and SCO-spondin) were expressed in the central nervous system of Ciona embryos, and activated by retinoic acid. Genes encoding transcription factors (e.g., Ci-lmx1.2, vitamin D receptor, and Hox proteins) and apoptosis-related proteins (e.g., transglutaminase and an apoptosis-inducing factor homolog) were also activated by retinoic acid. Simultaneous treatment of embryos with retinoic acid and puromycin revealed a few direct targets, including genes encoding Ci-Hox1, Ci-Cyp26, and an Rnf126-like ring finger protein. Developmental Dynamics 233:1571,1578, 2005. © 2005 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Embryonic Arrhythmia by Inhibition of HERG Channels: A Common Hypoxia-related Teratogenic Mechanism for Antiepileptic Drugs?EPILEPSIA, Issue 5 2002Faranak Azarbayjani Summary: ,Purpose: There is evidence that drug-induced embryonic arrhythmia initiates phenytoin (PHT) teratogenicity. The arrhythmia, which links to the potential of PHT to inhibit a specific potassium channel (Ikr), may result in episodes of embryonic ischemia and generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) at reperfusion. This study sought to determine whether the proposed mechanism might be relevant for the teratogenic antiepileptic drug trimethadione (TMO). Methods: Effects on embryonic heart rhythm during various stages of organogenesis were examined in CD-1 mice after maternal administration (125,1,000 mg/kg) of dimethadione (DMO), the pharmacologically active metabolite of TMO. Palatal development was examined after administration of a teratogenic dose of DMO and after simultaneous treatment with DMO and a ROS-capturing agent (,-phenyl- N -tert-butyl-nitrone; PBN). The Ikr blocking potentials of TMO and DMO were investigated in HERG-transfected cells by using voltage patch-clamping tests. Results: DMO caused stage-specific (gestation days 9,13 only) and dose-dependent embryonic bradycardia and arrhythmia at clinically relevant maternal plasma concentrations (3,11 mM). Hemorrhage in the nasopharyngeal part of the embryonic palate (within 24 h) preceded cleft palate in fetuses at term. Simultaneous treatment with PBN significantly reduced the incidence of DMO-induced cleft palate, from 40 to 13%. Voltage patch-clamping studies showed that particularly DMO (70% inhibition), but also TMO, had Ikr blocking potential at clinically relevant concentrations. Conclusions: TMO teratogenicity, in the same way as previously shown for PHT, was associated with Ikr -mediated episodes of embryonic cardiac arrhythmia and hypoxia/reoxygenation damage. [source] Simultaneous treatment of asthma and allergic rhinitisPEDIATRIC PULMONOLOGY, Issue 3 2004Paulo A.M. Camargos MD Abstract Asthma and allergic rhinitis (AR) form a well-recognized comorbidity. This study aims at assessing the efficacy of nasally inhaled beclomethasone dipropionate (BDP) in their simultaneous treatment. A randomized controlled trial was conducted with 78 allergic rhinitis and asthma patients aged 5,17 years. Seventy-five individuals completed the study. During 8 weeks, 38 subjects received BDP-CFC aerosol (,,500 mcg/day) exclusively via nasal inhalation through a facemask attached to a plastic valved spacer. The control group (37 patients) received 200 mcg/day of aqueous intranasal beclomethasone plus oral inhalation of BDP-CFC (,,500 mcg/day) through a mouthpiece connected to the same spacer. Primary outcomes analyzed in order to assess the response to treatment were clinical scoring for allergic rhinitis and measurements of nasal inspiratory peak flow (NIPF). AR clinical scoring and NIPF did not differ in the two groups at admission or at nearly all follow-up visits. Nasal inhalation of beclomethasone dipropionate provides AR symptom relief while maintaining control of asthma by delivering it to the lungs. Therefore, this therapeutic strategy might be considered for patients suffering from this comorbidity, especially in low-resource countries, since it is less expensive than the conventional treatment. © 2004 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Simultaneous treatment of native coarctation of the aorta combined with patent ductus arteriosus using a covered stentCATHETERIZATION AND CARDIOVASCULAR INTERVENTIONS, Issue 3 2003Masood Sadiq Abstract A 19-year-old girl with coarctation of the aorta and patent ductus arteriosus underwent simultaneous treatment of native coarctation and closure of ductus arteriosus using a covered Cheatham-Platinum stent. This technique may be used as an alternative to other forms of interventional therapy or surgery for this combination of lesions in adolescents and adults. Cathet Cardiovasc Intervent 2003;59:387,390. © 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Embryonic Arrhythmia by Inhibition of HERG Channels: A Common Hypoxia-related Teratogenic Mechanism for Antiepileptic Drugs?EPILEPSIA, Issue 5 2002Faranak Azarbayjani Summary: ,Purpose: There is evidence that drug-induced embryonic arrhythmia initiates phenytoin (PHT) teratogenicity. The arrhythmia, which links to the potential of PHT to inhibit a specific potassium channel (Ikr), may result in episodes of embryonic ischemia and generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) at reperfusion. This study sought to determine whether the proposed mechanism might be relevant for the teratogenic antiepileptic drug trimethadione (TMO). Methods: Effects on embryonic heart rhythm during various stages of organogenesis were examined in CD-1 mice after maternal administration (125,1,000 mg/kg) of dimethadione (DMO), the pharmacologically active metabolite of TMO. Palatal development was examined after administration of a teratogenic dose of DMO and after simultaneous treatment with DMO and a ROS-capturing agent (,-phenyl- N -tert-butyl-nitrone; PBN). The Ikr blocking potentials of TMO and DMO were investigated in HERG-transfected cells by using voltage patch-clamping tests. Results: DMO caused stage-specific (gestation days 9,13 only) and dose-dependent embryonic bradycardia and arrhythmia at clinically relevant maternal plasma concentrations (3,11 mM). Hemorrhage in the nasopharyngeal part of the embryonic palate (within 24 h) preceded cleft palate in fetuses at term. Simultaneous treatment with PBN significantly reduced the incidence of DMO-induced cleft palate, from 40 to 13%. Voltage patch-clamping studies showed that particularly DMO (70% inhibition), but also TMO, had Ikr blocking potential at clinically relevant concentrations. Conclusions: TMO teratogenicity, in the same way as previously shown for PHT, was associated with Ikr -mediated episodes of embryonic cardiac arrhythmia and hypoxia/reoxygenation damage. [source] Exogenous agmatine has neuroprotective effects against restraint-induced structural changes in the rat brainEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE, Issue 6 2008Meng-Yang Zhu Abstract Agmatine is an endogenous amine derived from decarboxylation of arginine catalysed by arginine decarboxylase. Agmatine is considered a novel neuromodulator and possesses neuroprotective properties in the central nervous system. The present study examined whether agmatine has neuroprotective effects against repeated restraint stress-induced morphological changes in rat medial prefrontal cortex and hippocampus. Sprague-Dawley rats were subjected to 6 h of restraint stress daily for 21 days. Immunohistochemical staining with ,-tubulin III showed that repeated restraint stress caused marked morphological alterations in the medial prefrontal cortex and hippocampus. Stress-induced alterations were prevented by simultaneous treatment with agmatine (50 mg/kg/day, i.p.). Interestingly, endogenous agmatine levels, as measured by high-performance liquid chromatography, in the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus as well as in the striatum and hypothalamus of repeated restraint rats were significantly reduced as compared with the controls. Reduced endogenous agmatine levels in repeated restraint animals were accompanied by a significant increase of arginine decarboxylase protein levels in the same regions. Moreover, administration of exogenous agmatine to restrained rats abolished increases of arginine decarboxylase protein levels. Taken together, these results demonstrate that exogenously administered agmatine has neuroprotective effects against repeated restraint-induced structural changes in the medial prefrontal cortex and hippocampus. These findings indicate that stress-induced reductions in endogenous agmatine levels in the rat brain may play a permissive role in neuronal pathology induced by repeated restraint stress. [source] Application of exergy analysis to various psychrometric processesINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENERGY RESEARCH, Issue 12 2003Bilal A. Qureshi Abstract The relation between work and changes in entropy generation arises from the simultaneous treatment of the first and second laws referred to as exergy (or available energy) analysis. In this paper, we discuss thermodynamic analysis of various psychrometric processes using the concept of exergy. A parametric study of each of the processes is carried out to determine the variation of second-law efficiency as a function of mass flow rate, relative humidity and temperature. Other trends such as variation of temperature with relative humidity are also shown where applicable. Irreversible losses are calculated by applying an exergy balance on each system. In this regard, an engineering equation solver (EES) programme is used, which is unique because it has built-in functions for most thermodynamic and transport properties; removing the need for approximate equations. The concept of total exergy as the sum of thermomechanical and chemical parts is employed in calculating the flow exergies for air and water vapor mixtures. It is shown for some processes investigated that an increase in the relative humidity of the incoming air stream increases second-law efficiency. We notice that a decrease in mass flow rate of fresh air (second incoming stream) in the case of adiabatic mixing decreases the second-law efficiency of the process. Also, it is shown that the mass flow rate (of both water and steam) has almost a linear relationship with relative humidity in the range investigated. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Up-Regulation of Cell Surface Insulin Receptor by Protein Kinase C-, in Adrenal Chromaffin CellsJOURNAL OF NEUROCHEMISTRY, Issue 2 2000Involvement of Transcriptional, Translational Events Our previous study showed that treatment of cultured bovine adrenal chromaffin cells with phorbol 12, 13-dibutyrate (PDBu) or 12- O -tetradecanoylphorbol 13-acetate (TPA) caused a rapid (<15 min) and persistent (>15 h) translocation of both conventional (c) protein kinase C-, (PKC-,) and novel PKC-, (but not atypical PKC-,) from cytosol to membranes, whereas thymeleatoxin (TMX) increased the similar but selective membrane association of only cPKC-,. In the present study, chronic (,12 h) treatment of chromaffin cells with PDBu raised cell surface 125I-insulin binding without altering the KD value ; it developed in a concentration (EC50 = 1.9 nM)-and time (t1/2 = 14.6 h)-dependent manner, reaching its maximum 115% increase at 48 h. Either TPA (30 nM) or TMX (EC50 = 6.4 nM) also increased 125I-insulin binding by 97 or 88%, whereas the biologically inactive 4,-TPA had no effect. The increasing effect of PDBu (30 nM for 24 h) on 125I-insulin binding was significantly blocked, even when H7, an inhibitor of PKC, was added at 8 h after the initiation of PDBu treatment. Concurrent treatment with brefeldin A, an inhibitor of vesicular transport from the trans -Golgi network, cycloheximide, an inhibitor of protein synthesis, or 5,6-dichlorobenzimidazole riboside, an inhibitor of RNA synthesis, abolished the PDBu-induced increment of 125I-insulin binding. Western blot analysis, using antibody against the ,-subunit of the insulin receptor, showed that treatment with PDBu (30 nM) or TMX (EC50 = 2.3 nM) increased levels of insulin receptor precursor (~190 kDa ; t1/2 = 7.1 h) and insulin receptor ,-subunit (t1/2 = 15.4 h), causing their almost maximum 52 and 59% rises, respectively, at 24 h. Northern blot analysis revealed that PDBu or TMX increased levels of insulin receptor mRNAs by ~35% as soon as 3 h, producing its monophasic peak ~76% increases at 24 h. All of these increasing effects of PDBu and TMX on 125I-insulin binding and insulin receptor ,-subunit and insulin receptor mRNA levels were entirely prevented by simultaneous treatment with Gö6976, a selective inhibitor of cPKC. These results suggest that long-term activation of cPKC-, up-regulates the density of the cell surface insulin receptor via transcriptional/translational events. [source] Simultaneous treatment of asthma and allergic rhinitisPEDIATRIC PULMONOLOGY, Issue 3 2004Paulo A.M. Camargos MD Abstract Asthma and allergic rhinitis (AR) form a well-recognized comorbidity. This study aims at assessing the efficacy of nasally inhaled beclomethasone dipropionate (BDP) in their simultaneous treatment. A randomized controlled trial was conducted with 78 allergic rhinitis and asthma patients aged 5,17 years. Seventy-five individuals completed the study. During 8 weeks, 38 subjects received BDP-CFC aerosol (,,500 mcg/day) exclusively via nasal inhalation through a facemask attached to a plastic valved spacer. The control group (37 patients) received 200 mcg/day of aqueous intranasal beclomethasone plus oral inhalation of BDP-CFC (,,500 mcg/day) through a mouthpiece connected to the same spacer. Primary outcomes analyzed in order to assess the response to treatment were clinical scoring for allergic rhinitis and measurements of nasal inspiratory peak flow (NIPF). AR clinical scoring and NIPF did not differ in the two groups at admission or at nearly all follow-up visits. Nasal inhalation of beclomethasone dipropionate provides AR symptom relief while maintaining control of asthma by delivering it to the lungs. Therefore, this therapeutic strategy might be considered for patients suffering from this comorbidity, especially in low-resource countries, since it is less expensive than the conventional treatment. © 2004 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Eine Lanze für den Sachverständigenrat?PERSPEKTIVEN DER WIRTSCHAFTSPOLITIK, Issue 4 2007Plädoyer für eine differenziertere Analyse wirtschaftswissenschaftlicher Beratungsinstitutionen On a closer look, these conclusions are disputable. Therefore, in this contribution we analyse both institutions with respect to different functions of scientific advice such as: (1) operative advice, (2) conception, (3) information of the public, (4) legitimization, and (5) filter. Our approach shows that the simultaneous treatment of all functions by one institution is impossible. Finally, the institutionalization of the German Council is quite appropriate with respect to some functions of scientific advice. [source] Transference and dream in illness: waxing psyche, waning bodyTHE JOURNAL OF ANALYTICAL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 1 2000Beverley D. Zabriskie In times of change, crisis, and illness, the excited points of an individual's personal history are reactivated within the transference and may also be noted by observing countertransference. When there are anomalies in the emotional and imaginal circle of the therapeutic relationship, there is occasion for repetition and/or a transformative opening. In some cases, there is simultaneous treatment of severe developmental fixations and compulsions, and issues of individuation. Images may emerge both from the personal field and from the collective and archetypal imagination. These may be expressions of interpersonal experience, intrapsychic dynamics, and physical as well as psychic state. [source] Scopes and limits of modality in quantum mechanicsANNALEN DER PHYSIK, Issue 12 2006G. Domenech Abstract We develop an algebraic frame for the simultaneous treatment of actual and possible properties of quantum systems. We show that, in spite of the fact that the language is enriched with the addition of a modal operator to the orthomodular structure, contextuality remains a central feature of quantum systems. [source] Chronic kidney disease affects the stone-free rate after extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy for proximal ureteric stonesBJU INTERNATIONAL, Issue 8 2010Shun-Fa Hung Study Type , Therapy (case series) Level of Evidence 4 OBJECTIVE To investigate the effect of renal function on the stone-free rate (SFR) of proximal ureteric stones (PUS) after extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL), as urinary obstruction caused by PUS can impair renal function, and elevated serum creatinine levels are associated with decreased ureteric stone passage. PATIENTS AND METHODS From January 2005 to December 2007, 1534 patients had ESWL for urolithiasis, 319 having ESWL in situ for PUS; they were reviewed retrospectively. Patients requiring simultaneous treatment of kidney stones, placement of a double pigtail stent, or percutaneous pigtail nephrostomy tube were excluded. We divided patients into groups by chronic kidney disease (CKD) stage according to the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) of ,60 and <60 mL/min/1.73 m2. Stone-free status was defined as no visible stone fragments on a plain abdominal film at 3 months after ESWL. A logistic regression model was used to evaluate the possible significant factors that influenced the SFR of PUS after ESWL, and to develop a prediction model. RESULTS The overall SFR of PUS (276/319 patients) was 86.5%; the SFR was 93% in patients with an eGFR of ,60 and 50% in those with an eGFR of <60 (P < 0.001). After univariate and multivariate analysis, the three significant factors affecting SFR were an eGFR of ,60, stone width, and gender, with odds ratios (95% confidence intervals) of 19.54 (8.25,46.30) (P < 0.001), 0.67 (0.55,0.82) (P < 0.001) and 0.16 (0.05,0.50 (P = 0.002), respectively. A logistic regression model was developed to estimate the probability of SFR after ESWL, the equation being 1/(1 + exp [,(3.8137 , 0.3967 × (stone width) + 2.9724 × eGFR , 1.8120 × Male)]), where stone width is the observed value (mm), eGFR = 1 for eGFR ,60 and 0 for <60, and male = 1 for male, 0 for female. CONCLUSIONS Gender, eGFR ,60 and a stone width of >7 mm were significant predictors affecting the SFR after one session of ESWL for PUS. [source] Carotid endarterectomy with simultaneous retrograde common carotid artery stenting: Technical Considerations,CATHETERIZATION AND CARDIOVASCULAR INTERVENTIONS, Issue 7 2008Hernan A. Bazan MD Abstract Carotid endarterectomy with simultaneous retrograde common carotid artery stenting (CEA-RCCAS) is performed with increasing frequency to treat tandem common and internal carotid artery stenoses. Technical details are not clearly delineated in the literature. Our procedure aims to maximize procedural ease and cerebral protection. Although the need for the endovascular component being performed first, followed by shunt placement, and the use of short wires and sheaths has been advocated, we describe the avoidance of shunt placement and the use of long sheaths to facilitate the procedure using local anesthesia and cervical blockade. Use of local anesthesia, avoidance of a shunt, and use of a long sheath may increase the procedural applicability and safety in some patients. CEA-RCCAS permits safe simultaneous treatment of tandem common and internal carotid artery stenoses. The use of technical adjuncts described here will permit further expansion of the procedure to allow additional patients to be treated in this hybrid fashion. © 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Simultaneous treatment of native coarctation of the aorta combined with patent ductus arteriosus using a covered stentCATHETERIZATION AND CARDIOVASCULAR INTERVENTIONS, Issue 3 2003Masood Sadiq Abstract A 19-year-old girl with coarctation of the aorta and patent ductus arteriosus underwent simultaneous treatment of native coarctation and closure of ductus arteriosus using a covered Cheatham-Platinum stent. This technique may be used as an alternative to other forms of interventional therapy or surgery for this combination of lesions in adolescents and adults. Cathet Cardiovasc Intervent 2003;59:387,390. © 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] An implementation of radiative transfer in the cosmological simulation code gadgetMONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY, Issue 3 2009Margarita Petkova ABSTRACT We present a novel numerical implementation of radiative transfer in the cosmological smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) simulation code gadget. It is based on a fast, robust and photon-conserving integration scheme where the radiation transport problem is approximated in terms of moments of the transfer equation and by using a variable Eddington tensor as a closure relation, following the Optically Thin Variable Eddington Tensor suggestion of Gnedin & Abel. We derive a suitable anisotropic diffusion operator for use in the SPH discretization of the local photon transport, and we combine this with an implicit solver that guarantees robustness and photon conservation. This entails a matrix inversion problem of a huge, sparsely populated matrix that is distributed in memory in our parallel code. We solve this task iteratively with a conjugate gradient scheme. Finally, to model photon sink processes we consider ionization and recombination processes of hydrogen, which is represented with a chemical network that is evolved with an implicit time integration scheme. We present several tests of our implementation, including single and multiple sources in static uniform density fields with and without temperature evolution, shadowing by a dense clump and multiple sources in a static cosmological density field. All tests agree quite well with analytical computations or with predictions from other radiative transfer codes, except for shadowing. However, unlike most other radiative transfer codes presently in use for studying re-ionization, our new method can be used on-the-fly during dynamical cosmological simulation, allowing simultaneous treatments of galaxy formation and the re-ionization process of the Universe. [source] |